Scientists have found a unique type of rock on the Moon that could change our understanding of our companion and its composition. Its analogues do not exist in the Solar System.
The results of the study by an international group of researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Münster and Cardiff have been published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience. According to IFL Science, these rocks have unique chemical properties and were formed inside the Moon 3.5 billion years ago.
The puzzle began when soil samples taken by NASA’s Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s contained basalt rich in titanium, but at a very low density.
“Until now, scientists have not been able to reproduce a magma composition that matches the basic chemical and physical properties of titanium-rich basalts. It has proven particularly difficult to explain their low density,” commented Martijn Klaver, researcher at the University of Münster.
A recent study shows that such magmas, known as “titanium-rich basalts,” are common on the Moon. The researchers found that when ilmenite-containing mounds react with the common minerals olivine and orthopyroxene, the alloy matched titanium-rich basalts.
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2024-01-22 11:51:19
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